


The Apple Orchard

by StarMaamMke



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Background Relationships, F/M, Field Trip, Meddling Kids, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 17:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12822024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarMaamMke/pseuds/StarMaamMke
Summary: My entry to The Writing Guild Fall Free For All on Tumblr (I'm also starmaammke on that site -- follow me!)El and Will want to give their parents a little push. Joyce and Jim chaperone a field trip.





	The Apple Orchard

_Here is my Contribution to The Writing Guild Fall Free for All! I hope  checking out the amazing contributions from my fellow guild members!_

“Are you sure we won’t get caught?” Will Byers asked in a small, anxious voice as El Hopper rifled through the stack of permission slips on Mrs. Burbage’s desk. The girl selected a permission slip and unscrewed the cap off of a tiny bottle of White-out.

“The odds are in our favor, you just need to lower your damn voice,” she scolded, painting over a check-mark nestled in the middle of a box. “Sorry, Mrs. Henderson, we only need a handful of chaperones,” she muttered.

“The apple orchard is a popular field trip, lots of parents always sign-up.”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re doing this. No luck-of-the-draw for Dad and Mrs. Byers. Guaranteed spots.”

Will frowned as he wondered how the Police Chief’s adopted daughter became so devious. The two of them had bonded over the year before she was enrolled in Hawkins High School. He and the rest of the Byers family, along with Lucas, Max, Mike, Nancy and Dustin had worked hard to catch her up on her studies, so she could enter school at their grade level. Actually, they hadn’t had to work that hard at all, El was a bit of a sponge and an evil genius, quickly surpassing even Nancy’s level of intelligence. There had been talk about placing her higher than ninth grade, but Hopper had balked, not wanting her to feel more out of place than she already was by sticking her with kids who didn’t know her.

One of the things the two bonded over, other than shared trauma, was the fact that everyone seemed to see the obvious attraction between their respective parents, EXCEPT for Joyce and Hopper. Will desperately wanted his mother to be happy again, and in the quiet moments shared between the two families, it was clear that being around Hopper made her very happy. She even smiled and laughed, going so far as to tell actual jokes. Will and Jonathan had no idea their mother was so funny. Will had seen little flashes of it over the years, through her natural silliness and the way she liked to tease and embarrass both boys, but that exuberance and humor never shone so brightly as it did when she was in the kitchen with Hopper, getting cooking lessons from him, or sitting around the kitchen table and television together like a big family.

Will liked how complete he felt when Hopper and El were in their house. It felt right. Almost like how it felt when Bob was around only more… it just made sense. He knew El wanted to see her father happy, though she chalked up her compliance with Will’s scheme to the fact that Hopper laid off of her and Mike more when Joyce was around.

“All done! Down to the required three chaperones. I kept Mrs. Sinclair because she always brings Moon Pies to field trips.”

Will scoffed at this. El’s sweet-tooth was legendary, despite his mother’s efforts to keep the Hopper fridge and pantry stocked with healthy snacks and vegetables. He observed the stack of doctored permission slips and smiled. He hoped this would work.

__________

“Man, I would’ve never signed up if I knew they were actually going to pick me. The kid was so adamant about being more involved in school stuff, but you told me that the apple orchard was some kind of beauty pageant for chaperones.” Jim Hopper grumbled as he settled into a seat on the bus next to Joyce Byers.

“It usually is! I try to sign up every year and I never get picked,” the tiny brunette sniffed as she rifled through her purse until she located a pack of Big Red. “It’s a long way to a smoke break, Hop, have some gum.” She slid a stick into his waiting palm.

“Thanks, Joyce.” Their fingers brushed as she withdrew her hand and placed it back on her lap. Hopper wanted to take back the little hand, with it’s long, tapered fingers and hold it in his. It wasn’t the first time he felt such a keen yearning, and even though it had been nearly a year since Bob had been killed, he still hesitated to act on the urge to pull her close and tight and never let go.

“Almost suspicious,” he admitted before unwrapping the stick and popping it in his mouth.

“Huh?” Joyce inquired. Before he could answer, a loud popping noise filled the air, coming from the back of the bus. He and Joyce both gave a violent start before turning around to see Troy Harrington and one of his oversized buddies laughing uproariously, a tattered paper bag clutched in the boy’s hand.

“Hey, knock it the fu–… cut it out!” Jim shouted, rising to his knees in his seat. His top of his head nearly brushed the ceiling of the bus, his big frame looming threateningly over the seats. “You can carry your lunch in your pockets, I guess.”

Dustin Henderson was sitting across the aisle from Troy and his friend, the boy’s face was bright red. “It was actually my–”

“Shut the fuck up, Toothless,” Troy hissed. Jim’s ears burned and his brow furrowed at the insult.

“Where’s your lunch, kid?” he asked Dustin. He noted that the young bullies cocky faces were now demonstrating a sufficient degree of terror. Dustin, for his part, looked hesitant to answer.

“They threw it out the window,” El volunteered in a flat tone, her dark eyes narrowing in the direction of Troy. “So they could make their stupid bomb thing.”

Troy was well aware of El’s connection to the Chief, so he didn’t shoot a smart remark her way. Instead, his eyes flew to the window, his face distinctly bloodless.

Jim smacked his lips. “Huh.”

“Now, Jim–”

“I’ve got this, Joyce. What did your mommy pack you, Harrington?”

The boy turned and swallowed. “A roast beef sandwich, some Reese’s, an apple and some celery.”

“Keep the celery. Give the rest to Henderson.”

“What?!”

“Now.”

Troy nodded quickly and handed off his lunchbox to Dustin.

“Cool, it’s a Tron lunchbox!” Dustin exclaimed, showing it to Lucas.

“Keep it, buddy,” Jim decreed, turning to sink back into his seat. Joyce was raising an eyebrow at him, a smirk on her face. “What?”

“That’s one way of handling it.”

“That kid is a jack ass, he needs to learn humility like his big brother.” he turned and leaned over across the aisle to the elegant woman who was quietly reading a battered copy of War and Peace What do you think, Mrs. Sinclair?” he inquired sweetly.

The woman shrugged, not lifting her eyes from her book. “He’s called my son worse than ‘Toothless’; I’d say he needs to learn more than humility, but a celery lunch is a good start, Chief.”

“See?” Jim teased, gently elbowing Joyce in the side, and then twisting away from her poke-happy forefinger. “Stop!” he cried helplessly as she jabbed into his side and elicited a sharp bark of laughter.

“You two…” Mrs. Sinclair chuckled knowingly. Joyce immediately ceased her onslaught and folded her hands into her lap with a fierce blush high in her cheeks; her dark eyes were downcast and held a distinctly guilty expression.

__________

“Is that what flirting is?” El asked Will as they watched Jim take off his coat and put it around Joyce’s shoulders as the adults walked ahead of the group down the path of apple trees. The fall day, which had started rather warm and sunny, and turned frigid and windy, the sun retreating behind the gathering clouds.

“No. That’s - that’s just your dad making sure my mom is comfortable. He’s always doing stuff like that. Flirting is what they were doing on the bus after your dad busted Troy.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Mike Wheeler asked, slowing down his pace so El and Will could catch up. He was holding his apple bag, and El’s. Both were about half-full.

“Mom and the Chief,” Will informed him, spying a particularly attractive apple high on a branch. He stood on his tiptoes to reach it before Mike plucked it and two others with ease throwing the first one into Will’s bag. “Thanks, Larry Bird.”

“I’m not that tall, Frodo.”

The boys snickered at their own banter, El just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we think they’d be good together,” El explained.

“Who would be good together?” came a female voice from behind. The trio turned in time to see Max, Lucas and Dustin walk up. Their bags were nearly empty, and Max’s red hair had twigs and leaves sticking from it.

“What have you three been doing?” Will asked, curiously.

“Max tried to climb to the top of one tree to shake down the good stuff. We got caught though, so technically we need to catch up with Mrs. Sinclair so we have a chaperone around at all times,” Lucas explained, giving his girlfriend an admiring look. “Are you guys talking about Mrs. Byers and the Chief?”

“Aren’t they already boinking?” Max asked, drawing disgusted groans from Will and a confused look from El.

“No!” Will protested. “No, they aren’t! Jesus, that’s disgusting.”

“What is–”

“Something they’re definitely not doing, don’t worry about it, El,” Will explained patiently, throwing Max a withering look.

Max snorted. “Are you guys trying to Parent Trap your parents? That is so cute. You know once they’re together they’re gonna do more than hold hands.”

El wrinkled her nose, finally getting her meaning. “Ugh. Shut up.”

“Yeah, don’t talk about parents like that, Max. That’s nasty,” Lucas chided with a shudder.

“Anyway, they’re cute, and everyone already thinks they’re together,” Max admitted with a shrug. “So you got them to the field trip, and judging by the fact that it’s an apple orchard, you were bucking for quaint romanticism, like those cowboy romances my mom reads. Now what?”

El and Will exchanged glances. “We… don’t know?” Will admitted. “It just seemed like a nice place for them to be together is all. Fall is romantic.”

“Mmm. Well, he’s already given her his coat, so I guess they’re off to a good start. Maybe it’ll rain and we’ll all have to get holed up in that barn until it lifts. My mom’s books always have people getting trapped in barns.”

As if on cue, thunder rumbled and the skies opened up. Five faces of eyes turned to Max with astonished expressions.

“Are you a witch?” Dustin inquired in a low, conspiratorial whisper.

__________

“Everyone, get in the barn!” Jim Hopper shouted so he could be heard through the deluge. He hoped the other chaperones for the other classes were finding similar shelter around the grounds. Joyce and Mrs. Sinclair moved about the Freshmen group on either sides, taking a headcount and guiding the soaked kids towards the door Jim was holding open.

“Ladies, get inside!” He called out, anxiously.

“Hold on, Chief – I counted 15 kids on my side, Joyce!”

“17 on mine, Dana!”

“That’s everyone!”

The two ladies hurried for the door, both holding their jackets over their heads to protect from the rain. Joyce was practically drowning in the brown jacket Jim had provided her from his own back, but he refused to take it away from her when she removed it and tried to hand it off.

“Don’t be silly, you’ll catch Pneumonia, Hop. You’re soaked to the bone and it’s actually dry.”

Jim shook his head as he hunkered down on a hay bale. “I never get sick.” he wrinkled his nose. The barn smelled of damp grass, leather, binder-twine and–

“Horses!” Max exclaimed, taking El’s hand and leading her to a row of stalls that were, indeed, filled with horses.

“Don’t spook them, girls!” Dana scolded, taking her book out of her bag and perching herself on a bale of hay.

Joyce settled herself onto the bale next to Jim and threw the jacket over both of their shoulders, pressing her warm, dry body against his soaked side with a shiver, her arm resting across his back to pull him closer.

“Now you’re going to get wet,” Jim fretted, giving an anxious glance around the room. Sure enough, Will, Dustin, and Lucas spotted the cozy scene and immediately fast-walked over to the stalls. Will whispered something in El’s ear, and the girl glanced over her shoulder, trying to school her instantaneously pleased expression into something more neutral when she realized that Jim was watching.

“We’re being studied,” Jim murmured in Joyce’s ear.

“Huh?” Joyce’s voice had a slightly drowsy quality, and Jim realized that she had been nodding off.

“Jeez, still any port in the storm for you, Horowitz? I swear you could sleep on a concrete floor if you were beat enough – our kids are over there, looking at us like they’re arranging a marriage and having it pan out in their favor.”

“Oh lord,” Joyce sighed, without pulling herself away from Jim. He felt something akin to hope stirring in his chest at the realization.

“Awful precarious situation we’re finding ourselves in,” he added, trying his luck by brushing his lips against the top of her head. Not the whispering from across the room was getting more audible, more urgent in tone.

“Do you think it’s time to tell them? If they’re actively trying to make it happen, it probably means they wouldn’t be mad at me for… I mean, are you sick of sneaking around?”

The ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ erupted in Jim’s mind as his heart soared and his stomach fluttered. He exhaled on the breath he had been holding and tried to play it cool. “Well- uh- I mean as sexy as sneaking around has been… Yes. Absolutely, I want to tell them, are you kidding?”

“Dinner at my house?”

“Yup. I’ll pick up the pizza and the ice-cream.”

“And the champagne for later?”

“And the whiskey for later.”

Her arm tightened around his side, and he felt her chin digging into his chest as she looked up at him with soft eyes.

“Love you, Hop.”

He kissed her forehead and tried not to sniffle at her words. If he did he’d just chalk it up to the weather.

“Love you, Joyce.”


End file.
